Search Results for: blog are single parents more susceptible to illness

Are Single Parents More Susceptible to Illness?

If stress and health are definitely connected, and life as a single parent is potentially pretty stressful, then it would stand to reason that single parents just might be more susceptible to stress-related illness. With all the long days and multiple responsibilities, our immune systems can get worn down and we can set ourselves up for illness and injury. So, what can we single parents do to keep ourselves healthy? Stress and exhaustion can be major issues in the lives of single parents. With the crisis and stress of going through a separation and/or divorce, and the added responsibility of … Continue reading →

Tips and Tricks for a Healthy Mommy

Taking care of your children when you are sick can be more than challenging as a single parent. There’s no one there to take care of the kids while you are stuck in bed. You have no choice but to do it yourself. While getting sick is inevitable, here are some tips and tricks to keep it from happening quite as often. Start with cutting down on your stress load. The more stressed you are the more susceptible you are to illness. As a single parent this may seem nearly impossible since you are doing the work of two, but … Continue reading →

How to Deal with Stress

Stress is something that comes to all of us at varying times and in varying ways in our marriage. It can have detrimental effects, producing headaches, depression, overeating, high blood pressure, stomach upsets and constant minor illnesses because the immune system is low. From all the symptoms a young man experienced, he thought he was having a heart attack. The hospital found he was having a panic attack caused by too much stress. So for our health and for the sake of our marriages let’s find ways to deal with the stress. I’ve been reading Always Looking Up by Michael … Continue reading →

Do You Feel Guilty When You Get Sick?

For some reason, many of us not only try to avoid admitting when we are getting sick or have come down with an illness, but to actually feel guilty when we do. As if it is shows some weakness or is some failing on our part. While it may not feel like there is room for illness in a single parent’s life, illness can be our body’s way of telling us to slow down and take care of ourselves or it can be an opportunity for us to learn how to let go of the guilt and feelings of weakness. … Continue reading →

If I Can Only Stay Healthy

Thank goodness I am a fairly healthy person by nature, but I know that when I commiserate with other single parents one of the things that always comes up is how we all pray for health. Most of us have figured out how to stay on top of things on a fairly regular basis—or at least hold our worlds together. When we get sick, however, it can make staying on top of things an incredible struggle—if not completely impossible. Staying healthy is key to a single parent’s survival! Of course, it is not always possible. We are as susceptible to … Continue reading →

There Will be Days When the Exhaustion is Unbearable

I try to take a positive, encouraging tone when I write here in the Single Parents blog, but someone recently asked me if I wasn’t glossing over some of the realities and challenges of being a single parent. After all, for most of us, it is no walk in the park. I got to thinking that while exhaustion is not something that can be solely claimed by single parents, in my own experience, I never really, truly experienced utter exhaustion until after I became a solo parent… I think it helps to know that nothing lasts forever–even the exhaustion! We … Continue reading →

One of the Best Things About a Home Business–Working From Bed

I have been a bit under the weather the past few days. Nothing major, but enough to keep me from getting out and about with my usual energetic fervor and determination. The plus side is that I couldn’t help but feel grateful that even though I don’t have the traditional “sick time” with my home business and current work-world configuration, I do have a great deal of flexibility. I can actually keep working and work from bed if I need to! Working from home while sick means that I don’t have to worry about infecting anyone and I can wear … Continue reading →

Sick Time for the Entrepreneur

It is tough to take sick time when you are the only employee. There, I’ve said it. I know that many of us thought that sick time wouldn’t be an issue when we started our own businesses–we wouldn’t have to keep track of sick days, or call in to any human resources department when we weren’t felling well. But the fact is, sickness can be an even bigger issue in a small home-based business since we might not take the down time when we need it and there isn’t anyone to cover for us if we “call in sick.” The … Continue reading →

Exhaustion Impairs Clarity

I do not want to imply that single parents have the market cornered on exhaustion. Parenting, in general, can be incredibly taxing. Add in a full time job (or two), other relationships and responsibilities, and you’ve got a recipe for a fairly frazzled life. However, for single parents where overextension can be the rule rather than the exception, we need to keep in mind that exhaustion can impair our ability to see clearly, make good decisions, and be truly present to meet the challenges of our families. There have been those times when I’ve let myself get so far gone … Continue reading →

The Dangers of Getting Over-Extended

With all those big, heavy balls we single parents struggle to keep in the air, being exhausted and over-stretched can become a way of life. We may just come to expect so much from ourselves that we don’t see when our over-extension is actually getting dangerous. Become too overworked and overtired isn’t just a nuisance, it can actually put our own health, and our children’s safety at risk. What are some of the signs and symptoms that let you know that you are entering into the danger zone? Be aware if you are having trouble remembering things, making sound and … Continue reading →